Lopez: `Barren stretch' fails to split Texans corners

They are a pair of Texans who certainly can speak with authority about -- how did the Texas A&M media guide put it? -- "the barren stretch (of) dirt."

Marcus Coleman, of Texas Tech, and Aaron Glenn, of Texas A&M, are the Texans' Pro Bowl-caliber cornerbacks. And the dirt just doesn't get any more barren than when you're playing cornerback in the NFL.

"That's our life," Glenn said. "You want to be out on that island."

Few corner tandems, if any, in recent years have proved to be better than Coleman and Glenn, who before coming to the Texans played in the same Jets secondary for six seasons, combining for 38 interceptions and 178 passes defended.

They are best friends. They are amiable and good-humored. One calls the other "great," and in return the other calls his counterpart "one of the best in the league."

They are immensely talented and no doubt a key to the upcoming season.

"Our goal is to become the best set of cornerbacks in the NFL," Glenn said. "We know each other well, and we know what's expected of us. Teams are going to come out against our defense and think they're going to do us any kind of way they want. But me and Marcus have the responsibility of saying, `Oh, no. We're not going to let you do that.' "

They are proud Texans. They defend each other's talents and importance as intensely as they would Randy Moss in man coverage.

But forever, Coleman will be a Red Raider and Glenn an Aggie. And that's where every year these teammates and friends draw a line in that barren stretch of dirt.

"Every now and then, we might bring up an old story about college," Coleman said, "but usually it's just when the game comes along that we get into it. We'll usually place some kind of wager."

Now, with A&M-Tech rivalry tensions goosed to new levels, thanks to a controversy involving disparaging words about Tech and Lubbock printed in the 2002 A&M media guide, each has a prediction about the Oct. 5 A&M-Tech game in College Station.

"Shoot, it seems that pretty much everybody that went to A&M moves to Houston," Coleman said. "There'll probably be a lot going on, especially now that we're both in Texas. I'm pretty sure the rivalry will get going and there will be a few fights when the game comes around. We'll see what happens. I might have to break out my old jersey."

Said Glenn: "No matter what, A&M is going to win. No question. There's not even a doubt about that."

Neither Glenn nor Coleman offered to weigh in on "the barren stretch (of) dirt" media guide comments about Lubbock, which have caused an uproar among the Tech and A&M faithful. But both say the controversy only underscores how much the Aggies-Raiders rivalry is underrated.

"It's all in fun," Glenn said. "That's how college sports are supposed to be. It might even create a better rivalry and bring a little more attention to it. I mean, Tech for us is not like playing Texas, but it's a great rivalry, and this is probably going to make it more interesting."

Among the other comments in the media guide article recapping the 2001 A&M season were: "Lubbock is ugly enough without any problems. ... Hundreds of fans stormed the field and once again tore down the goal post. That's nothing new for the envious students of the South Plains. ... The Red Raiders, even in victory, looked like classless clowns."

As much as Coleman and Glenn have grown to be best friends and have more pressing matters with which to concern themselves -- beginning with Saturday night's Texans game at Kansas City -- old college habits are hard to break.

One loves the Raiders, the other the Aggies. Come Oct. 5, when the Texans coincidentally have a week off in the schedule, Coleman and Glenn might even find themselves standing on opposite sidelines like they did in 1992 and '93.

"They got us both times when (Glenn) was there," said Coleman, who entered Tech when Glenn was a junior. "You don't forget. The one in College Station (a 19-17 A&M win) came down to the last minute, and then his senior year they came to Lubbock and pretty much beat us (31-6)."

Said Glenn, who had an interception in the '93 A&M win: "We killed 'em."

For 16 weeks in this inaugural Texans season, it's going to be hard finding any tandem of NFL cornerbacks more complementary -- or complimentary -- of each other than Glenn and Coleman.

But for one heated Saturday in October, it's going to be about the old college days and an altogether different kind of barren stretch of dirt.

"(Aggies) think they're going to win," Coleman said. "I'll have to look closer at what we've got coming back before I make (a prediction), but all I know is we throw the rock 70 times a game. The Aggies better be ready."